Which statement best explains why viruses do not have special structures or enzymes that allow them to make their own food? -viruses can use energy in living cells that they infect - viruses can replicate inside a host that they infect - viruses can cause contagious illnesses in host cells - viruses integrate their rna or dna into infected cells

- viruses can replicate inside a host that they infect.

Viruses are intracellular pathogens that are parasitic in nature and utilizes machinery of host cell for replication and production of progeny viruses. Virus replication occurs in a host cell in six basic steps:

1. Attachment: Viruses attach to the receptors of the host cell surface.

2. Penetration: The virus penetrate inside the host cell by changing the conformation of the host cell wall or membrane. The virus capsid  containing viral proteins, RNA or DNA enters the host cell.

3. Uncoating: The viral capsid is degraded by viral enzymes or host enzymes releases viral genome in the host cell.

4. Replication: The transcription, translation of viral genome takes place inside the host cell. The viral protein synthesis also takes place. This process is de novo synthesis of viral genome and protein.

5. Assembly: Viral proteins are packed in a newly replicated viral genome into new virions.

6.Virion release: The virions are released by either lysis of host cell or by budding.

do yall know the answer?